Last month, Chris Guillebeau wrote a guest post for Zen Habits entitled “Staring Out Over the Bridge.“
Here’s a quick summary of his post:
Whenever you were a kid and wanted to do something crazy because your friends did it, your parents would say, “if everybody jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?” What they were trying to tell you: don’t follow the crowd, think for yourself.
Great advice for a kid, so why is it bad advice for an adult?
As grown-ups we’re all expected to follow the crowd even if we don’t like the direction it’s going. Don’t think for yourself, just do as you’re told. Try to go against the crowd and out on your own, you’ll get funny looks from everybody – “you should get a real job,” “it’s time to start being responsible,” “let’s be realistic here.” Suddenly you’re chastised for being unique and unconventional.
I’ve been thinking about Chris’s article lately, and not just because I’ve quit my day job to run this site full-time. Taking his concept and flipping it slightly to fit the fitness world, I’d argue that the crowd is standing on the bridge, refusing to jump (for a multitude of reasons). To reference the Shawshank Redemption, those folks standing on the bridge blindly following the crowd are “getting busy dyin.”
Those of us who think for ourselves “get busy livin” by doing things differently.
In other words, we jump.
Robzilla recently made a great post on the message boards about how proud he is to be a rebel in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, and it made me realize just how proud I am to be a rebel too. I initially picked The Rebellion for the name of our “group” in honor of the rebel alliance in Star Wars. Honestly, I just thought it sounded cool. Since then however, this community has really developed and come to embrace that rebel mentality and I freaking LOVE IT.
We definitely don’t conform, we certainly think for ourselves, and we ask “why” when we’re told to join the pack.
Keep in mind, the pack we’re supposed to join is overweight, out of shape, getting fatter by the day, and living miserable lives shortened by preventable diseases. It seems now that everybody is NOT jumping, and we’re expected to stand there with them because “it’s how things work.”
As it turns out, it’s actually more dangerous, less healthy, and far less enjoyable to follow that crowd.
Screw that.
I say we jump.
This is why I jump, and this is why I’m proud to be a rebel:
Barefoot Running
The crowd: Have you heard of this new “barefoot running” fad? Who would be STUPID enough to go running barefoot? You’re going to hurt yourself. Why can’t you just be normal and buy a pair of Nikes? Those toe shoe things look ridiculous.
A Nerd Fitness Rebel: Psssst…running shoes have been around for, what, fifty years? We’ve been around as a species for about 100,000. Did you think we were born with running shoes on? Despite decades of research and billions of dollars spent on new technology, the rate of injuries among regular runners has not decreased in the slightest. Now, studies are starting to pop up, including this one, that show an increase in risk of ankle injuries, plantar fasciitis, and dozens of other injuries when running in shoes compared to running barefoot.
So leave me and my ninja gorilla shoes alone!
Read the comments in this article from the NYTimes – the comments are filled with either enthusiastic support for barefoot running from people who have tried it or irrational rage and animosity against it from people who have never tried.
I love going barefoot. I run, play, and workout “barefoot” and any time I have to put on sneakers it bugs the hell out of me. I still get funny looks and I always get stopped by people asking me what the hell I’m doing. Try running a race in them and the questions won’t stop!
I’m okay with that.
Working Out
The Crowd: “OOOOH good they have the latest stair-stepper/treadmill/elliptical and brand new weight lifting machines. Sure it might be 75 degrees and beautiful outside, but I can’t wait to run on this treadmill for two hours, maybe use the weight machines, do fifty crunches on the ab machine, and then chug a Gatorade, eat a big granola bar, and call myself healthy! Pssh, you lift weights? Meathead. I don’t because I don’t want to get too bulky.
A Nerd Fitness Rebel: Hmmm, it’s sunny out? Am I a vampire? Nope! Okay, I’m off to the park for trail running/sprints/ultimate frisbee/yoga/whatever makes me happy. If today happens to be a weight training day, I’m going to walk right past those awful weight machines and go right to the free weights, where I’m going to kick my ass in only 45 minutes, build muscle, burn fat, and get the hell out of there. Maybe I’ll skip the gym all together and grab a kettlebell and kick my butt that way. Gatorade? No thanks! I’d like to keep off the calories I just burned. I’ve pretty much mastered working out like a rebel in a commercial gym; take THAT empire!
I get funny looks every day in the gym, and not just because I work out barefoot. I get evil glares from guys waiting to use the squat rack to do their bicep curls while I’m in there doing things like…squats, overhead presses, dead lifts, power cleans, and jerks. I get funny looks when I strap 30 pounds on me to do pull ups and chin ups. When people ask me what I do to work on my abs, I usually “squats, overhead presses, and dead lifts.”
I like getting funny looks.
Eating Healthy
The Crowd: “I used to eat my recommended 6-11 servings of grains per day according to the old food pyramid (thanks FDA!), keep my fat and oil consumption as low as possible (boo fat!), and I eat healthy low calorie meals to lose weight. Apparently there’s now a new food pyramid that recommends less grains, but I still eat a bunch (and make sure they’re whole grain!). I’m trying to lose weight, but it’s not really happening, so I must be eating too much fat and too many calories. I’ll just go spend another hour on the treadmill. Paleo diet? Sounds like a stupid fad to me, you are absolutely crazy, and incredibly unhealthy.
A Nerd Fitness Rebel: The FDA has been recommending what you eat for decades…how has that worked out so far? No thanks, I think I’ll go with this new “fad,” the Paleo Diet. You know, the one that’s been around since the dawn of mankind. I’ll kindly say no to the grains and processed foods, but I’ll say yes to big slabs of meat, tons of vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy oils and fats. I’ll count calories if I feel like it, but I’m not really worried about my intake if I don’t!
You do your thing, and let me do mine.
I definitely get tons of questions and odd remarks when I tell people that I’ve pretty much cut grains out of my diet. I definitely get funny looks when I tell people that I drink shots of olive oil for extra calories. People get confused when I tell them I don’t eat bagels, muffins, donuts, or cereal for breakfast “like a normal person.”
So what do I have to show for a diet loaded with fat and incredibly light on grains? Other than more energy and efficient muscles, I also have abs, a body fat percentage in the single digits, and a big smile when I wake up in the morning every day.
I’m okay with the odd remarks.
You’re not alone
I want you to know that you’re not alone in your desire to things differently. I don’t want to preach and tell other people how to live their lives – as Shauna so eloquently put it in the comments, “live and let live.” I’ve created a Rebels’ Code that we follow here in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, so see for yourself if this is something you might be interested in. If it doesn’t sound appealing to you, thanks for your time, and no worries – hopefully there is something out there for you. While you’re searching though, do what you can to keep an open mind.
Now on the other hand, if you like the idea of thinking for yourself, creating a better future, and living a more fulfilling and vibrant life while sticking it to the man, we have plenty of room!
- Join us on the Nerd Fitness Message Boards – join 430+ other rebels who are constantly helping each other level up their lives. I am so proud to call these people my friends.
- Join the Rebel Army Newsletter or get updates via rss feed – 2,500 rebel subscribers and growing rapidly.
We’re starting to make a lot of noise, and it’s only going to get louder.
Rebels With A Cause
If you’ve been part of the community, how’s life been for you as a rebel? Do you get unusual questions from your friends and family about your behavior? What’s your best story about going against the crowd and getting funny looks for it?
Hopefully you get these looks, and yet continue to stand proudly as a rebel for what you believe in.
For the Rebellion!
-Steve
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